


Now or Never

by be11atrixthestrange



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Battle of Hogwarts, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Mild Smut, Shameless Smut, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:49:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26963206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/be11atrixthestrange/pseuds/be11atrixthestrange
Summary: Ron and Hermione share a moment alone during the Battle of Hogwarts.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 9
Kudos: 66





	Now or Never

It felt so surreal.

The burning rubble, the smashing windows, the crumbling corridors, it all sent shockwaves down Ron's spine, each crash of destruction like a spinal tap that left him completely numb, feeling nothing. Just acting.

Hogwarts, the place that he had called home for so many years, the dormitories, where he had spent countless nights assuming he was safe, the library, the setting for so many frustrating study sessions, whispered rows with Hermione, and fantasies- so many fantasies that crept stubbornly into his unwilling mind. Like right now, at this inappropriate moment.

Jogging along the corridor and dodging hexes, with one eye on the hall before him, one eye on the witch running alongside him, his friend, his  _ girlfriend  _ , Hermione.

Was she his girlfriend?

They hadn't talked about it. There hadn't been time.

He heard her shriek and turned to see her blast a spell over her shoulder. In response, reached for her hand, and whipped her out of the way of an oncoming hex, and the pair changed course and sprinted down a new hallway, one that was only recognizable by Ron's memory of the castle's layout.

He knew where it led and Hermione wasn't objecting, so he gripped her hand more firmly and continued through the violated halls.

So much had just happened. Hermione kissed him. Fred died.

He kept repeating it in his head. Hermione kissed him. Fred died. Hermione kissed him. Fred died.

He wanted this day to be both real, and a nightmare.

He was numb. None of that information reached his head. Why? What was wrong with him?

Ron knew that if he survived the day, reality would come crashing down like the walls of Hogwarts castle, and he simultaneously hoped for and dreaded that moment..

He listened to Hermione panting beside him. He ran faster, and she was winded, but it was too risky to slow down. The doors to the library were in sight, and Ron knew of a few places within that wing that would be safe for cover.

The numbness in his body subsided for a moment when he thought of those dark, hidden places in the library. He nearly returned back to his fantasies at that thought paired with the sound of Hermione panting.

He willed himself to stop thinking about that. This was not the time. His brother just died.

Ron blasted the doors to the library open with his wand and the pair bolted in, coiling through the book cases. Ron led Hermione to the back, through the restricted section to a dark corner only a few students knew existed.

Admittedly, Ron was much more familiar with this part of the library in his fantasies than in reality.

The further they ventured into the library, the less destruction there was. The heart of the battle was further away, in a different part of the castle which felt like a different dimension right now. There was a hidden study room in the back of the restricted section and Ron found it easily. He opened the door and pulled Hermione in with him. As soon as it shut he got to work, setting up the same wards that they had used to protect their tent in the Forest of Dean.

"We need to find Harry," said Hermione, with what Ron hoped was a tone of reluctance. She watched him with a raised eyebrow, as he set up protective spells that she must have assumed he didn't know.

"We need to make a plan."

Ron wanted to smile at the irony of being the one to suggest stopping the action to make a plan, but the smile didn't make it to his face.

Hermione nodded. "Are you ok?"

He knew she was asking about Fred, and he didn't know how to respond. Was he ok? Yes. Would he be ok? Probably not. It was the reverse of what was supposed to happen.

"It's hard knowing it'll get worse."

Her expression softened in understanding. Her breathing was finally slowing down and he realized they both needed this moment to pause and rest.

Ron glanced around the room and in the darkness, he spotted the outline of a desk, a chair, and a few bookcases. It was so dark he could barely make out her face. When his vision focused, he realized how close they were standing, but he didn't want to back away.

He had spent the last few hours just acting upon impulse. Masking his emotions and feelings was exhausting, and in this moment of rest they started to bubble back up.

Hermione had kissed him. Fred was dead.

Ron trembled when he thought of how close he was to losing her. There was a good chance that neither of them would make it out of this castle alive. Fred had proved that life could be so fleetingly short.

He knew the grief of Fred's death would hit him like a train, but it wasn't here yet. Although he dreaded it, he hoped to be alive to experience it.

"Ron," Hermione said softly, almost a whisper. He felt his name escape her lips as much as he heard it.

And then he was kissing her.

In the dark room, where he could not properly see her, his years of studying her body and fantasizing from afar prepared him well. His hands knew exactly where to land when he reached for her waist and slipped his arms around her lower back as he pulled her hips to his and pressed his lips to hers. He heard her satisfied sigh before she returned the kiss, locking onto his lower lips as she slid her hands around his neck and into his ginger hair. 

He took a step toward her, leading her backward toward the desk. She paused when she reached it, and he dropped his hands lower, down her bum, until they gripped the bottom of her thighs. He kept his lips on hers as he pulled her up and onto the desk, pressing his body against her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He lost himself in the heat that radiated from her body, and the movement of her chest with every inhale and exhale. Both were indicators that at this very moment, the two of them still had the luxury of getting lost in physical desires. It meant they were lucky enough to be alive.

All of his thoughts about pausing mid-battle for a moment alone with her had felt selfish at first, but right now, doing anything else felt like a waste of their time.

Fred was dead, and that fact simply reminded him that Hermione was alive. And she was alone with him in a dark room in the library's restricted section.

There was so much he wanted to say to her. So much he wanted to do to her. For her. With her. Screw proper timing, the best time could very well be now or never.

He broke the kiss momentarily and focused on her eyes. "Hermione I need to tell you something." He pressed on her lower back, pushing her closer to him, and raised his lips to her cheek, landing a gentle kiss there. She leaned her head into his lips and he didn't want to move them away. He moved his lips against her cheek as he spoke. "I've wanted to tell you how I feel about you for so long—"

"Don't." She pulled back to look at him. "Don't say something just because you think we might die." She must have seen the hurt in his eyes so she added. "I know how you feel, and Ron, I feel the same way. You have no idea. But I need something to look forward to if I'm going to keep going."

He wrapped his arms tighter around her and buried his lips into her neck. As he inhaled her scent, it sent shivers down his spine. He felt himself growing harder as he pressed against her. She must have felt him because she tightened her legs around his waist and reached her hands back into his hair, gently tugging his lips back up to meet hers.

They kissed deeply, and he took his chance to slip his tongue between her lips. She opened her mouth for him and he intensified their kiss, slipping one of his hands from her back, down the back of her jeans as she hummed her satisfaction.

He pulled away only slightly, so they were no longer kissing, but his lips were still resting gently on hers. "So you really don't want me to tell you how I feel?"

"No," she said softly between kisses.

"Can I show you?"

Hermione smiled as if she had been expecting the question. She reached her lips back to his and gently bit his bottom lip as she looked up into his eyes. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness, and he could hardly handle how beautiful she was. "Please," she said when she pulled away. Ron felt his pants tighten as he grew harder, especially when one of her hands slid from his neck and down the front of his chest, landing in a grip on the waistband of his trousers.

Her wordless question was all he needed to back away slightly so that she could undo the top button. His heart rate began to quicken in both excitement and nerves as she reached down the front of his pants. In an effort to hide his oncoming blush he pulled forward to capture her lips with his as her hand slipped around his cock. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized how much he had been craving her touch, not for his own pleasure, but for simple the fact that he was physically closer to her than he had ever been before. The losses of the battle continued to accumulate around them, and he knew that he could never take the warmth of her hand and feel of her pulse for granted. 

"Fuck, Hermione."

He felt her smile through the kiss as she pulled his erection free from his trousers and slid her small hand up to the tip. A low moan that had built up through countless fantasies of moments just like this escaped him as if it had been waiting patiently for an exit over the last seven years. "Hermione—"

He opened his eyes and watched her gaze travel down to her hand as she gently tugged on him. Watching her watch him, he suddenly felt exposed. In response he slid his hand around her legs to rest on top of her thighs and ducked down in an attempt to capture her in another kiss. Before he reached her lips, he heard her whisper uncertainty. "Ron-- what do you want me to do?"

Her cheeks were rosy, and she bashfully bit her lip, which assured him that she- like him- was nervous too. He was tempted to laugh at the irony of his own nervousness. This past year had fought death eaters, robbed a bank, killed a horcrux, and flown on the back of a dragon, yet that Gryffindor bravery seemed to disappear simply because a beautiful girl,  _ Hermione, _ was touching him. This was something new for both of them, yet something he had always wanted to experience with her. Until this moment, he had buried that desire, and convinced himself that moments like these were reserved for normal teenagers, not ones that were on the run, fighting for their lives amidst a war. 

He reached his hand down to his own cock, wrapping hers with his as he began to move her hand along its length. The intimacy of the act just made him swell even more in affection for her. He squeezed her hand, encouraging her to tighten her grip, which she did. "Bloody hell." He let go of her hand and she continued stroking him. "It's not going to take very long if you keep doing that." She responded by quickening her pace, and pulling his head to his with her free hand.

He groaned as his lips melted into hers. His hands returned to her thigh as he pressed his fingers into her legs, gripping the fabric of her jeans. "Fuck," he said against her lips before she silenced him with an intensely intimate kiss, sliding her tongue along his lower lip. His breath became quicker and shallower and it took everything he had to pull his lips back away from hers. "Hermione, I'm going to- Fuuck."He didn't have time to warn her before he felt himself spill into her hand. Losing track of the moment, he swore much louder than he had intended to and silenced himself by burying his face back into her neck. One of his hands wandered to the buttons of her jeans as he slipped his fingers up and over the edge. Hermione hummed agreeably as he bit his teeth down into the flesh of her neck. She felt so good. 

He remained there, steading his breath to regain his composure before pulling his mouth away from her neck, "Fuck, I hope that didn't hurt you."

She shook her head. "It didn't. I liked it."

He relaxed against her before looking down and realizing where his hand had wandered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

He made to remove his hand from the front of her jeans, but she pressed her own hand against his, holding it in place. "It's ok."

Ron smiled and nodded. He looked into her eyes and with her assuring expression he undid the button and zipper of her pants. He then balanced himself back on his feet, not caring that his pants were still partially down his legs- they were past that now. Ron lowered himself into the desk chair and reached his fingers deeper into the front of her pants, guiding her toward him.

She slipped her legs on either side of his, straddling him. Her hands wandered back into his hair and he kissed her again. "Can I return the favor?"

She smiled up at him, blushing, and nodded. He felt his cock stir again at her bashfully nervous expression.

Instinct took over as Ron's hands slid from the front of her trousers to the back, and he slipped them inside the back of her jeans, gripping the warm flesh of her bum. Her perfect bum. He felt her melt forward into him as she moaned, and it was the sexiest sound he'd ever heard. His hands traveled even lower, down the back of her thighs, under her jeans. He buried his face back into her neck and gently grazed the skin with his teeth. He felt her shudder and hum appreciatively as his hands slid closer together underneath her, meeting each other in the warm, wet center.

Thank Merlin for stretchy jeans.

"I know you hate it when I swear, but I can't help it. You're so fucking sexy."

He was relieved to hear her laugh, as he kissed her neck. "For some reason, I don't really mind you swearing right now."

"I want to touch every part of you."

She tugged on his hair and he felt her nod. Her trust meant everything to him. He slipped his hands back up her bum, letting them travel dangerously close to the center as he gently dug his nails into her sensitive skin. She sighed. "I like that."

"Good." Ron bit and sucked on her neck, working his way toward her collarbone. "Lean back a little?" he asked gruffly. She pressed back as his hands made their way back to the front of her pants, undoing the zipper the rest of the way. He guided one hand up her back and pulled her back toward him as he slipped his other hand down the front of her jeans, tangling his fingers in the soft warm hair that met him. "Bloody hell, you feel amazing."

Hermione shifted her weight to his shoulders and lifted her hips to allow him some more space.

He slid his fingers further down, and knew he had reached that sensitive ball of nerves when she shuddered and collapsed slightly into his hand. Her lips fell to his forehead, and she kissed it tenderly through a stifled moan. He could easily listen to her make that sound all day.

Trusting in her nonverbal feedback, he started moving his hand across her center and noticed that instinct took over for her as well. Her hips began to respond to his fingers, pressing into them and releasing, cooperating. He let his free hand travel back down her bum and gripped, feeling her muscles tighten and let go with each flick of his fingers. They found a rhythm.

Eventually her breathing became shallower and louder, each exhale resulting in a soft moan. "Fuck, Ron."

Hearing Hermione swear set him off. "Say that again."

"Fuck."

"Bloody hell, Hermione, that's got to be the sexiest thing I've ever heard." She laughed through her gasps, and he felt her legs stiffen around his. His back hand slid down her arse to rest at her opening.

Thank Merlin for long, lanky arms.

When she nodded her permission against his head he slid one, then two fingers into her. She exhaled a high pitched, hot-as-hell moan as he felt her legs tense up, and her body close around his fingers. "Oh my god Ron." She continued gasping and gently brushing herself against his hand, so he kept his fingers buried inside her.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered to her as her shudders slowed to a stop. He felt her legs relax and her body soften from it's grip around his fingers. Reluctantly, he slid them out to rest his hands on her hips. Leaning back to look up at her, he realized how his eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Her disheveled hair, unbuttoned and stretched out jeans, legs straddling him and his still-exposed cock brought a satisfied smile to his face. "I love you so fucking much."

Hermione paused to look at him with an expression somewhere between affection and playful disappointment. "I love you too." Then she playfully scowled at him. "I thought we agreed we weren't going to say it yet."

Ron smiled up at her. "Couldn't hold it in. It's now or never, isn't it?"

She responded by leaning forward, and embracing his lips in a loving, yet somber kiss, as they both knew what they had to do next.

He let himself escape into this last moment of bliss, knowing they'd have to return to the battle outside shortly. They had to find Harry, find his family, and bring this war to an end.

He felt his heart swell with love for the witch in front of him, and in that moment he knew that everything would be ok. The battle would end, he would grieve his brother, and they would rebuild their lives.

In the end, Voldemort would be dead and Hermione would be his.

He still had so much to keep fighting for. He deepened the kiss for a moment before breaking away. "Let's do this."

With that characteristic determined look in her eye, she nodded, and he knew they'd be ok.

  
  
  



End file.
